Accuray Incorporated has entered into agreements with Samsung HME America, Inc., doing business as NeuroLogica Corp. (“Samsung NeuroLogica”), to explore advanced volumetric imaging capabilities for the CyberKnife System. The announcement was made in conjunction with the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting in Boston, where the two companies are presenting their collaboration. The initiative forms part of Accuray’s broader approach of working with strategic partners to combine complementary technologies in response to customer needs.
According to Accuray, customers have identified imaging technologies that can support treatment efficiency and clinical decision-making as important priorities. The collaboration brings together Samsung NeuroLogica’s expertise in mobile computed tomography (CT) and volumetric imaging with Accuray’s capabilities in precision radiation delivery, robotic radiosurgery and real-time motion management.
Accuray President and CEO Steve La Neve said the partnership reflects the company’s focus on delivering relevant innovation more quickly while determining which capabilities should be developed internally and which can be advanced through collaboration. He said combining the two companies’ areas of expertise could help address clinical and patient needs identified by healthcare professionals.
Clinicians have told Accuray that volumetric imaging could provide a more comprehensive view of patient anatomy within the treatment environment and potentially support future treatment workflows. The companies are therefore examining ways to bring additional anatomical information closer to treatment-related decisions while maintaining the regulatory standards applicable to radiation oncology.
Professor Nicholas van As, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Chief Investigator of the PACE trials, said volumetric imaging could complement CyberKnife’s non-coplanar treatment delivery and real-time motion-management capabilities. According to van As, simultaneously viewing the treatment target and surrounding anatomy could provide clinicians with additional information during treatment. In the longer term, he said, the technology could potentially contribute to treatment approaches that account for changes in a patient’s anatomy on the day of treatment.
The Royal Marsden is the first center worldwide to participate in the Accuray–Samsung NeuroLogica collaboration. The center will help explore the potential contribution of Samsung’s volumetric imaging technology to robotic radiosurgery.
The potential application of volumetric imaging also extends beyond a single cancer type. Jonathan Lischalk, MD, Clinical Director of Radiosurgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Clinical Associate Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine, said the technology could be relevant to thoracic, abdominal and pelvic cancers.
For clinicians treating cancers such as lung, pancreatic and prostate cancer, Lischalk noted that understanding the position of the treatment target relative to surrounding healthy organs can be important during treatment. He said evaluating additional imaging alongside CyberKnife’s non-coplanar delivery and real-time motion management could provide opportunities to investigate future approaches for dealing with changing patient anatomy.
The clinical perspectives supporting the collaboration reflect a broader interest in providing clinicians with more information at the point of treatment. Samsung NeuroLogica’s Boris Geyzer, Head of Business for Mobile CT at Samsung HME America, said the company’s work in mobile CT has focused on bringing advanced imaging closer to patients.
Geyzer described the collaboration as an effort to address a practical clinical requirement: improving visualization of anatomy within the treatment room. Samsung NeuroLogica contributes its experience in mobile CT and volumetric imaging, while Accuray brings expertise in precision radiation delivery and established knowledge of radiotherapy workflows. The companies are exploring how these capabilities could potentially be combined to address treatment-room needs.
The initiative is also part of Accuray’s wider strategy for accelerating technology development through a combination of internal engineering and external partnerships. La Neve said the company does not consider it necessary to develop every capability independently, particularly when collaboration can bring specialized expertise together around a specific customer or patient challenge.
The Accuray–Samsung NeuroLogica project will proceed in stages as the companies assess its technical, clinical and commercial potential. No commercial product has been announced at this stage. Any future development will remain subject to the results of the evaluation process and applicable regulatory requirements.
The collaboration adds another element to Accuray’s efforts to advance precision radiation therapy. By combining robotic radiosurgery, motion-management and precision treatment-delivery capabilities with volumetric imaging expertise, the companies are investigating whether additional anatomical information could support future radiation-treatment workflows and clinical decision-making.